Refrigerating system



Nov. 26, 1929. M. ALEX REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Filed. 001;. l, 1926 .atbozmq Patented Nov. 26, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Application filed October 1, 1926. Serial No. 138,902.

My invention relates to a refrigerating system and has for its principal object the provision of a system of this character which will operate continuously and automatically without attention from the user.

' Another object of my invention is to provide a combined generator and absorption chamber in combination with a combined condensing and cooling chamber whereby the conduit for returning the refrigerating fluid to the generating chamber also serves as a means for returning the water that collects in the cooling chamber back to the generator.

Refrigerating systems of this character have heretofore been provided with means for returning the absorbing liquid that is carried over with the generated gas into the cooling chamber back to the generator, but these system required the application of some external means to the cooling chamber and the attention of the user of the system to accomplish this result. With my invention no external means or attention of the user is necessary to remove the absorbing liquid from the cooling chamber.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a pocket in the bottom of the cooling eh amber in which the absorbing liquid, which has a higher specific gravity than the liquid refrigerant, may be collected.

Furthermore, it is an object of this invention to provide a control means for the refrigerating system that automatically starts the generator when the evaporation in the cool- 0 ing chamber is no langer sufficient to keep the chamber at the desired low temperature and that automatically stops the generating process and cools the combined generator and ab sorbiug chamber to start theabsorbing procwhen sufiicient refrigerating fluid has been driven from the generator to the combined condensing and cooling chamber.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the automatic control system used in my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken through the center of the refrigerating system showing the generator and cooling tank in their operative positions.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 2 through the cooling tank.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken through the generating tank at right angles to Figure 2. And,

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view showing the means provided for alternately conducting gas and liquid from the cooling tank to the generator.

- Referring now in detail to the drawings, 1 represents a casingwhich may be of the ordinary insulator material, such as is commonly used in refrigerator casings. This casing is provided with two chambers, 2 and 3, each having a tank or container therein.

The container 4 in chamber 3 is the generating tank and is adapted to contain a liquid, such as water, which has in solution a large quantity of ammonia. In the upper portion of the tank I provide a valve 5 opening into the tank whereby ammonia or water may be placed therein and the opening closed again. Situated in the lowerpart of the tank are a pair of heating coils 6, which may be of any usual type of electric heater suitable for this purpose.

Within the tank 4 I also provide a cooling pipe 7, which is connected by the means of the pipe 8 and Valve 9 to a source of water supply at 10, which may be the ordinary city supply of water. The pipe 7 is preferably larger in diameter than the pipe 8, so as to provide a greater cooling surface in contact with the liquid in the tank 4. The pipe 7 discharges through the pipe 11 to any suitable point, such. for instance, as the sewer, whereby when the water is turned on by the means of the valve 9 a continuous flow through the pipe 7 will be established for cooling the contents of the tank 4.

At the top of the tank 4 I provide a pipe 12, which leads from tank 4 to the top of the cooling tank 13 and extends inside of this latter tank. Theextension of the pipe 12 may be provided with a check valve indicated at 14, which will permit the passage of gas through tank 4 into tank 13 but will prevent the flow of the gas in the opposite direction. This check valve, while servin as a safety device to prevent the passage 0 gas in the wrong direction, may in certain instances be dispensed with, as will appear from the description of the operation as hereinafter given.

The tank 13 has an annular jacket 15 extending therearound, which jacket is connect ed by the means of the pipe 16 surrounding the pipe 12 and the pipe 17 to a valve 18, which is also connected to the source of water supply 10. The jacket 15may thus by opening the valve 18 be supplied with water for a pur pose which will presently appear.

At the lowermost portion of the jacket I provide pipe 19, which may lead to the same discharge point as pipe 11, so that a continuous flow of water may be established through the jacket 15 for absorbing heat from the tank 13.

Extending longitudinally through the tank 13 is the opening 20, in which articles may be placed for freezing them, or in which receptacles containing water to be frozen may be inserted.

I also provide the pipe 21, which has a portion 22 extending down into the tank 4 to a point near the bottom thereof and a portion 23 which extends into a pocket 24 formed in the bottom of the tank 13.

Adjacent the top of the tank 13 the pipe 23 is provided with an opening 25 and surrounding this pipe is the tuhular member 26 which makes a water tight joint at the top and bottom thereof with the pipe 23, and which is provided adjacent its top an opening 27.

tity of water saturated with ammonia of the ordinary temperature and the air in the sys tem is forced out either by the means of the vacuum pump or by forcing ammonia gas into the tanks to drive the air out. Upon heating the liquid in the tank 4 the ammonia will be driven off in the form of gas and this gas will pass through the pipe 12 down into the tank 13, which at this time is being maintained by the means of the flow of water through the jacket 15 at substantially the temperature of the water supply, which is ordinarily at about 55. As the temperature of the tank 4 increases more gas will be driven off and the pressure will become greater in the tank 13, which at the low temperature of the tank will cause the ammonia to condense in the liquid form and this will continue so long as gas is being driven off from tank 4, or, in other words, so long as the heat is sup plied to this tank.

During this generating period a certain amount of water will be carried over with the ammonia gas into the tank 13. This water having a greater specific gravity than the liquid ammonia will settle to the bottom of the tank 13 and be collected in the pocket 24. After the heating operation the valve 9 is opened and the valve 18 closed whereby a flow of water is-established through the tank 4 and the tank is gradually cooled by this means. As this cooling process takes place the water in the tank 4 again begins to absorb the ammonia gas and thus reduce the pressure in the tank and this reduction and absorption cause a flow of gas through the pipe 21 from tank 13 to tank 4 and the liquid ammonia condensed in the tank 13 evaporates and in evaporating absorbs heat from the tank 13 and thesurrounding casing 2, thus reducing the temperature inthe cooling compartment. This action continues until the liquid in the tank 4 is again saturated with the ammonia, at which point the evaporation in tank 13 begins to reduce and the temperature in this tank necessarily rises. The heater may then again be started and the operation repeated. Y

After several of these operations the amount of water accumulating in the tank 13 will become so great as to seriously impair the efliciency of the machine, and if this water is not removed the system will eventually cease to operate.

I have .provided a novel means whereby the objectionable water in the tank 13 may be automatically removed from time to time and returned to the tank 4. This means consists of the pocket 24, where the water gathers, pipe 23 and the tubular member 26 with the openings therein, the operation of which is as follows: the increase in water in the bottom of the tank 13 gradually raises the level of the liquid ammonia and after a certain time this level will rise above the opening 25 and seal the same so that the as can no longer pass through this opening in pipe 21 into'the tank 4. When this occurs the evaporation of the ammonia willincrease the pressure in the tank 13 while the pressure in the tank 4,

due to the absorption of the gas, continues to become lower and the gas in the pipes421- and 22 is absorbed by the liquid in the tank 4. This causes a suction in the pipes 21 and 23 which draws the water up out of the pocket 24 and returns it to the tank 4, which again places the system in position to continue its tact between the leads 31 and 32. The lead 31 is connected to any usual source of current, usually the regular house supply. The lead 30 connects to one side of the heater element 6. Leading from the same side of the heater 6 is a conductor 33,,which connects with the solenoid 34, or other suitable electric means, for opening the valve 18. I have shown this valve operating means only diagrammatically, because the exact structure thereof forms no part of the present invention and any suitable means for operating the valve 8 by an electric current may be used.

The valve operating means is provided with a return conductor 35, which leads to the other side of the heater 6, and from this point the conductor 36 leads to the mercury switch in the thermostat 29 and fromthi's switch conductor 37 extends to the source of current.

I have also provided a conductor 38, which connects the lead 36 with the valve operating means 39 for operating the valve 9 in substantially the same manner as the valve 8 is operated and this valve operating means is connected to the conductor 32.

In the position shown in Figure 1, the thermostat 28 in tank 4 is in such position that a circuit is established through lead 31, conductor 30, heater 6, lead 36, mercury switch in thermostat 29 and lead 37, so that the heater is in operation; This situation is established by an increase in the temperature of the cooling tank 13 due to the fact that the evaporation therein has become too low and this increase in temperature has caused the -mercury switch to rock upon its axis and establish contact between leads 36 and 37, at the same time or prior to this time, tank 4 has cooled to such an extent that the thermostat 28 has caused-the mercury switch thereof to rock about its axis and establish contact between leads 31 and 30. When this condition is obtained the valve operating means 34 opens the valve 18, thus starting a flow of water through the jacket 15. After the tank 4 reaches a certain temperature,

thermostat 28 will rock the mercury switch thereon about its axis, so as to break the contact between 31 and 30 and establish contact between 31 and 32, which will operate the valve 9 by means of the valve operating structure 39 but which will cut out thefheater 6 from the circuit and this will cause a flow of water through the tank 4 and a result in cooling thereof until the temperature of the tank 13 becomes low enough to break the circuit between the conductors 36 and 37, at which time the flow of water through the valve 9 will be stopped and the absorption process will continue until, the tank 13 is again heated. Y

Thus, it will be seen that I have provided a refrigerating system which when charged and put into operation will continue to operate and automatically take care of itself without any attention until the natural wear and tear upon the parts thereof cause it to break down. There is no necessity for opening and closing valves, or for emptying water from one of the tanks, or any of the other periodic attentions required by the usual machines of this type.

WVhile I have described only one form of my invention in detail,'I wish it to be clearly understood that I intend to include as a part of my invention all such modifications as would occur to one skilled in this art and fall within the scope of the claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A refrigerating system, comprising a combined generator and absorbing chamber for containing a liquid carrying a refrigerant, means for periodically heating said liquid to thereby gasify the refrigerant, a com bined condenser and cooling tank, means for conducting the gasified refrigerant from said chamber to said tank and condensing the rereturn the refrigerant to said chamber, and

means for automatically returning the liquid carried with said refrigerant from said chamber to said tank back to said chamber when the combined volume of liquid and condensed refrigerant in said tank exceeds a predetermined volume said means receiving liquid only from the lower portion of said tank.

2. A refrigerating system, comprising a combined generator and absorbing chamber for containing a liquid carrying a refrigcrant, a combined condensing and cooling tank, means for alternately heating and cooling said chamber to cause the liquid therein to alternately give off the refrigerant as gas and absorb it, means for conducting the refrigerant gas from the chamber to the tank, a pocket in said tank wherein liquid carried with said gas from said chamber may collect, a conduit leading from said pocket upwardl through said tank and into the liquid in sald chamber, and a tubu lar member in the upper portion of said tank secured to said conduit and forming a chamber having communication with said conduit adjacent the lower end of said chamber, and having communication with said tank adjacent the upper end of said'chamber. i

3. A refrigerating system, comprising 'a combined generator and absorption chamber forcontainin a liquid carrying a refrigerant, means for heating said liquid to gasify said refrigerant, a combined conenser and cooling'tank, means for conducting the gaseous refrigerant to said tank when said liquid is heated, means for coolin said liquid, a conduit for conducting the refrigerant from said tank into said liquid when the liquid is cooled, and means for periodically and automatically returning liquid carried into said tank with said refrigerant from the bottom of said tank back to said chamber through said conduit.

4. A refrigerating system, comprising a combined generator and absorption chamber for containing a'lliquid carrying a refrigerant, means for heating said liquid to gasify said refrigerant, a combined condenser and cooling tank, means for conducting the gaseous refrigerant to said tank when said liquid is heated, means for cooling said liquid, a conduit for conducting the refrigerant from said tank into said liquid when the liquid is cooled, a liquid collecting pocket in said tank, a pipe leading from said pocket to said conduit for conducting the refrigerant from the tank to the chamher, and means surrounding the upper portion of said pipe having an upper opening to said tank and. a lower opening to said 5. A refrigerating system comprising a orator, conducting means for conducting refrigerant from said generator to said condenser and evaporator when said generator is heated, heating and cooling means for said generator, means for abstracting heat given off by the condensation of the refrigerant, means for conducting the evaporating revfrigerant from said evaporator into said generator, control means responsive to the temperatures of said generator and evaporator for starting said heating means and heat abstracting means, means controlled by the temperature of said generator for-thereafter stopping said heat abstracting and heating means and starting said cooling means when the temperature in said generator rises to a certain value and" means con necting said cooling means and control means 'to stop said cooling means when the temperature of said a certain value.

6. A refrigerating system comprising a generator decreases below generator absorber containing a liquid carmeans for conducting the evaporating refrigerant from .said evaporator into said generator, control means responsive to the temperatures of said generator and evaporator for starting said heating means and heat abstracting means, means controlled by the temperature of said generator for thereafter stopping said heat abstracting and heating means and starting said cooling means when the temperature in said generator rises to a certain value and means connecting said cooling means and control means to stop said cooling means when the temperature of said evaporator decreases be low a certain value. i

7. A refrigerating system comprising a generator absorber containing a liquid car- 'rying a refrigerant, a condenser and evaporator, conducting means for conducting refrigerant from said generator to said condenser and evaporator when said generator is heated, heating and cooling means for said generator, means for abstracting heat given ofi' by the condensation of the refrigerant, means for conducting the evaporating refrigerant from said evaporator into said generator, control means responsive to the temperatures of said generator and evaporator for starting said heating means and heat abstracting means, means controlled by the temperature of said generator for thereafter stopping said heat abstracting and heating means and starting said cooling means when the temperature in said generator rises to a certain value and means connecting said cooling means and control means to stop said cooling means when the temperature of said generator or evaporator decrease a certain amount.

In witness whereof, I hereunto" subscribe my name this 30th day of September, A. D.

MAX ALEX. 

